Bangladesh unrest triggers protests in India, raising diplomatic and regional concerns |
Political unrest in Bangladesh has begun spilling across borders, triggering protests in India and straining already sensitive diplomatic ties between New Delhi and Dhaka. Demonstrations outside the Bangladesh High Commission in India’s capital this week underscored how internal instability in Bangladesh-particularly violence against religious minorities-has taken on regional significance, drawing in global actors including the United Nations and Russia.
The immediate trigger for the protests in New Delhi was the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu man killed in the Bangladeshi city of Mymensingh last week following allegations of blasphemy against Islam. The killing, which has shocked minority communities inside Bangladesh and across the border in India, has become a rallying point for demonstrators who accuse Bangladeshi authorities of failing to protect religious minorities amid growing lawlessness.
According to Indian media reports, protesters gathered outside the Bangladesh High Commission chanting slogans and demanding accountability for what they described as a pattern of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. Some demonstrators attempted to climb over barricades erected by police, leading to brief clashes with security forces. Indian authorities eventually dispersed the crowd, but the incident prompted an immediate diplomatic response from Dhaka.
On December 23, Bangladesh formally summoned the Indian envoy to lodge a protest over what it described as “incidents” involving Bangladeshi diplomatic missions in two Indian cities. In a statement, Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry condemned what it called acts of “premeditated violence or intimidation” targeting its diplomatic establishments, warning that such actions violate international norms governing diplomatic........